


in moonlight

by ephemeral_fallacy



Series: Karmagisa Week [2]
Category: Assassination Classroom
Genre: Alternate Universe, Character Death, Fire, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Old Timey AU, Spine snappingly good, Supernatural Elements, fluff.png
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-07
Updated: 2015-04-07
Packaged: 2018-03-21 16:07:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,640
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3698528
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ephemeral_fallacy/pseuds/ephemeral_fallacy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He looks the prettiest when his eyes and smiles are soft, coated in moonlight. But once again, Nagisa is late and Nagisa is scared. AU!</p>
            </blockquote>





	in moonlight

**Author's Note:**

> eyooo this was so hard to finish even though the idea was so clear in my head  
> had to revise it like seven times bc i didnt want nagisa to necessarily die in the end  
> ohohoho

_There’s a legend surrounding death, that if a person dies, they will become a part of that which has killed them. Fire to a fire spirit, water to a water spirit. Some believe it, some don’t, and there are some who fear it. Fear of bugs, fear of feeling only air under feet and back, fear of heat boiling at skin..._

_Nagisa has only truly feared one thing, once._

 

* * *

 

 

The lantern swings from side to side, the light casting little flickering shadows and little tongues of fire on the dense underbrush of the forest. The handle is red, and the metal glows orange with the heat of the fire; although it destroys the shadows in front of him, Nagisa can feel the chill of it from behind him.

 

Traversing the forest at night is the worst for any villager. Demons crowd about and wait patiently for the light to run out, their eyes are red and yellow and blue, and every color possible, because they want every color to remind a traveler of the fear in their veins, the fear of being watched. Nagisa is no different from every backpacker looking for a rush of adrenaline; to them, there’s nothing startling about blue hair, eyes that almost glow in the dark, and the rust-red lantern he holds.

 

He’s only a little different from them.

 

He’s still a little afraid of the demons, of the darkness, but he's not afraid of dying. His grip on the lantern tightens and he makes his steps lighter, quieter.

 

Around this time of night, the deadliest of demons skulk the edges of the forest, hoping for an unsuspecting visitor to stray from the dirty road. The knowledge of that constantly repeats itself in Nagisa’s mind as he stares straight ahead at the barest peek of his town. He’s close, and if he doesn’t waver, nothing bad will happen to him--

 

A hiss to his right disturbs him, but he refuses to look. _If he pretends he doesn’t see them, then maybe they will leave him alone…_

 

_Maybe…_

 

The intimidating noise is closer this time, more like the chanting whispers of a man seeking death and hoping his bony fingers can drag someone else down with him to the depths of hell. A rustling accompanies the hissing, a cloth rustling over the dead leaves and undergrowth of tangling roots and rotten clean skeletons. The sweat on the back of his neck is cold and it soaks into the collar of his clothes.

 

_“If trouble ever arises, remember to break the lantern and I will save you.”_

 

When he remembers the words that kind fire spirit spoke to him, the forest seems just a bit brighter. The demons are afraid of fire, after all.

 

A hand stretches out from the darkness, and Nagisa turns to it, his lantern swinging and casting disgusting long shadows on the bushes. A skeleton skull, half covered in hair, a chillingly innocent smile, and its eyes a ghastly yellow, reflections from the fire burning in the blue-haired boy’s hand. The rustling and the hissing came from this demon; it’s large and imposing, but with a swift throw, Nagisa breaks the lantern on the ground.

 

As the cover breaks and bursts into flames, a thin circle of fire surrounds the human boy and the demon’s loud keen of disgust rings in the night. The skeleton man is thrown backwards from the light and the noises of predators disappears, impatiently waiting for tomorrow to feast. From the circle, the flames roar brighter and larger, dispelling the possibility of a meal for the demons; a figure forms in the flames, a helmet first, then a body and wavering legs, two arms and two hands with ten fingers. Like a human, the fire spirit materializes and his eyes, contrary to the rest of him, are a flickering gray, lit from within with the red of his hair.

 

“Karma,” Nagisa’s voice trembles a bit and his lip quivers, but he bites back his weakness. “Sorry I had to break the lantern…”

 

The red-haired spirit pulls closer to him, the flames licking at the blue-haired boy’s clothes, but he isn’t burned. Gray eyes are surprisingly soft when he hugs Nagisa, but his voice echoes in his ears instead of in the open. _“I told you to break it when you were in danger. And you were, I can’t blame you for that.”_

 

With one heartbeat fast and the other nonexistent, the two of them walk leisurely, the chill of midnight gone and filled with the warmth of fire and a nostalgic feeling that has Nagisa’s eyes shining. He feels hot fingers brushing against his hand and he opens his palm to Karma, allowing the familiar weight to rest against his body.

 

He’s not afraid of the fire lacing the hand in his.  
  


* * *

  
_His house was once on fire, not because of natural means. He remembered the vicious eyes and the cackling of the woman as she blocked the only exit. Behind him, a wall and a small window, and under her hawk eyes, he couldn’t wriggle through. Simply, he was trapped and fear paralyzed his body until he could barely breathe (or was that the smoke?)._

_The house had began to fall apart, and she was knocked down by a falling plank. The sound of her spine snapping was both horrifying and satisfying, but the tears that streamed down his face were quickly evaporating in the heat._

_Nagisa heard the call of his name, and a familiar head of red hair burst in through the door and he jumped over the still body of his mother. His clothes were singed and his hair was unkempt, his face sooty and his breaths coming out in ragged pants that he could somehow hear over the cacophony of creaking and shouting._

_“I’ll boost you up, c’mon, Nagisa,” Karma grunted and the blue-haired boy nodded frantically._

_His fingers scrabbled against the lock, until he managed to slide it open forcibly. Wiggling his body through the crack was no easy feat, and he could almost smell the fire coming closer. But by the time he was free and he turned around, it was too late. He realized that the scent in the air was of clothes burning._

_Of Karma, his face twisted in pain, biting his lip to keep his screams from scaring Nagisa even further._

_But, in the years he had lived, Nagisa had never felt this kind of fear, not even in the minutes before when staring at his mother. The fear of leaving Karma behind, fear of being alone, all of his fear stemmed from that red-haired boy’s tender existence._

_“I’m sorry, Nagisa,” he managed to cough out, and smoke billowed from the inside out through the window. “I’m sorry, I won’t let you see--” The redhead devolved into violent coughing and there was the sound of splintering wood before the roof finally collapsed. People were milling about like ants without a queen; some were carrying buckets of water and others were directing them, but all their attention was soon diverted to the loud wail from Nagisa, screaming one thing over and over again._  
  


* * *

  
As the path widens, Nagisa feels Karma’s hands slowly leaving his. It feels so much colder, now that they’re no longer holding hands, but that’s to be expected. It’s going to be the coldest when he has to disappear.

 

The forest is clearing into smaller trees and dense bushes, instead of the towering trunks of before, and the human boy can’t help but feel regret that they didn’t walk any slower, that the time they had together was cut short. He no longer has a lantern, but he no longer needs it. The moon is bright enough, and the town, filled with torch light and windows glowing from fireplaces; demons would have to think thrice before entering.

 

“Karma--”

 

The spirit’s finger presses against Nagisa’s lips. _“There’s no reason for you to apologize, Nagisa.”_

 

“But you’re...not even _here_ , anymore. It’s my fault, and you know that,” he rebutts and grabs Karma’s glowing wrist. It’s warm and he never wants to let go, even if it means he has to die, but he knows that the spirit wouldn’t let him.

 

_“It’s not your fault. It was my choice, and I’m sorry. I’m sorry you had to experience that, Nagisa. I’m sorry for a lot of things, but this way, you can live without fear, right?”_ The smile on his face is heartbreaking; it’s heartbreaking that he knows so much about him and it’s heartbreaking because it’s true.

 

_“This way, I can always protect you when you need it,”_ Karma whispers and as Nagisa tries to tighten his grip on the spirit’s wrist, it’s only futile when his fiery legs begin to disappear; his grip loosens in shock. If anything, it looks like the moonlight is absorbing him. In some way, he looks the prettiest like this, his gray eyes lit by silver and orange, glowing like the angel that he is on the inside. These are the faces that he shows to the blue-haired boy, not the smirk and not the half-manic eyes of excitement.

 

“Karma--” Nagisa lunges to hug him once more, but it’s too late. _Fear crawls in his body, fear that he won’t be able to see him again._

 

He only feels dots of light brush against his skin, warm and fleeting, as Karma’s tangible body fades into the night.

 

_“I’ll see you soon, Nagisa,”_ a voice whispers and those words warm the freezing blood in his veins.

 

The blue-haired boy rubs his eyes furiously, chanting in his head that he’s not sad, that he’s not worried at all, because all those are lies, but he never tells himself he’s fearless.

  
_Because Karma’s beside him, even when he’s invisible, every step of the way._

**Author's Note:**

> i mADe gisa like kINDA MORE GAY THIS TIME B ut LIKE--  
> fCUKIGn KARMA IS ALWAYS SO GAY I CA  
> I canT WRITE HIM ANY OTHER WAY LIKE I LOOK AT HIM AND THE ONLY thiNG  
> LIKE THE ONLY THING I THINK OF TO DEScRIBE HIM IS GAY ???1/!???@?2/#?@  
> ??!?/1?!/3//31/?@?!?21//14/1?%5?%?


End file.
